The UAE is ’employing’ Blackwater to run its army | The New Arab

The UAE army has been working for years to strengthen its military capability, yet only a small percentage of its operational staff actually hold UAE passports, it has emerged.

The role of private security contractors in Middle Eastern conflicts has been connected to numerous reports of human rights violations – but their central role in running the UAE’s military is rarely examined.

Reports first emerged in 2015 that the UAE was sending mercenaries to fight in Yemen, choosing not to send its own citizens to fight in the chaos.